The Beck Diet Solution – September 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
 

Welcome to The Beck DIET solution discussion group, support group, diet coach group relating to the book by Dr. Judith S. Beck:The Beck Diet Solution is a psychological program, not a food plan. It provides a step-by-step program to learn specific techniques to stay on our diet, lose weight, and maintain our weight loss for life. The program is based on Dr. Beck's clinical research in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).

There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if we learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach.

This is a place to discuss the Beck strategies and our daily efforts, to receive and provide support, and, for some of us, is where we serve as on-line diet coach to each other.

If you’ve arrived from a search engine, you’ve landed at the site of 3 fat chicks, a remarkable place for those interested in a healthy life style, including mindful eating, exercise, and weight loss. More about the site, including how to register so that you can post can be found here.

The book, The Beck Diet Solution, is available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking here.

Previous Beck threads on 3fatchicks.com:

The Beck Diet Solution – August 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – July 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – June 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – May 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – April 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – March 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – February 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – January 2008 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution – December 2007 – Group for Support, Discussion, Diet Coach
The Beck Diet Solution - November 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - October 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - September 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - August 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - July 2007
The Beck Diet Solution - May/June 2007

Monday - Labor Day in the US
 

Diet Coaches – Spent a good part of the day fixing small things between the tenant turnover of the end of August - the standard rental lease end around here. "Fixed" the timer on the stove that wouldn't quit dinging by, with great amount of taking apart, simply disconnecting it. I hate the clock/timers on stoves. They always break; they cost more than $100 to replace; and they aren't as useful as the $20 ones that everyone ends up using anyway. (Except for us. We used one of those $2.95 mechanical timers for years. I liked the loud ticking - knew it was going.)

Had one of DW's purple heirloom tomatoes with garden basil and Hellman's mayonnaise on whole wheat bread crusts for lunch. Just doesn't get better than that. CREDIT moi. Was a good walking day, some 18,000 steps. Haven't done that much in a while. CREDIT moi. Quiet end of summer around here. Except that the blueberries were from Nova Scotia. Bad sign when the blueberries are from that far north; there's no place further north growing blueberries for next month. The end of blueberries is neigh. Oh Well.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Drooling over the "feta/spinach/pinenut/ sun dried tomato pasta number." Yep, Kudos for all your food prep for the start of the school year. Looking forward to hearing how DD fares with kindergarten. (And how kindergarten fares with DD, LOL.)

onebyone – Congrats for delivering the Astronaut painting; Glad that you closed the loop on that story because I remember when you sold it. Just great that you're developing loyal customers for your art. That is a clear career development. Kudos for passing on all those market show temptations, although I admit, I'd like to go back and check out the "giant fruit booth from southwestern Ontario." Keep the faith on your wagon. I do like your wagon built for two idea, and was LMAO at forgetting where you parked your wagon.

shrinkin - Yep, understand you need a break to figure out what day of the week it is, LOL. Will miss your posts - they're never "boring".

Susan (QuilterInVA) - Thanks for the tip to replace a broken venetian blind rod using a dowel with an eye hook screwed on - hadn't thought of that. RE "Certain Foods Can Burn Fat?" I spend my entire life believing that celery burned more calories than it contained. Alas, as an adult, I came to believe that it wasn't so. If it's not true about celery, what can it be true about? Perhaps Weight Watchers zero calorie soup?

Readers – "You may not be conscious of it, but you always have a thought before you eat. … Beck, pg 26.

Labour Day Monday here too.
 

Hi coaches

This made me laugh as my first thought was very un-Beck. It was "yeah, I think 'what else is there?' "

It's a true day off for me. Have rental car. Will travel. There are two artist studio tours this weekend and we'll hit both today. One, called the Sundance Studio Tour, is in Maberly (love saying that), where it is all at one stop. Unusual for a studio tour but others have told me "it's a good one and you'll love the grounds" so looking forward to it and since that one is all in one place the second tour is not all in one place.The Inroads Studio Tour is really all over the map. Lots of tiny places to drive through. I love that. And the weather is perfect. So ironic. On this, the last holiday weekend of the summer we finally get a summer weekend..and week if you can believe the weatherman. Oh, this made me laugh. There was a headline in the local paper that I had to tear out. "Winter forecast anyone's bet":rofl: OMG this is "news"? So funny. Canada's head meteorologist first tells us not to put any stock in the Farmer's Almanac forecast for a bone-chilling winter this year, with below average temperatures for most of Canada....but then he goes on to say that neither La Nina or El Nino have set themselves up so we are in La Nada he says, neutral conditions. Of the 23 times we were set up for winter in the same conditions since 1960, 10 winters were warmer than average, 9 colder and 4 inbetween.:dizzy: Unfortunately there is no mention that winter this year just won't come...

Back OP today. At the market yesterday I was looking for eggs and the regular chicken eggs were sold out but I was offered Argentinian Chicken eggs...also known as the Easter Egg Bird...the eggs I bought have shells ranging from pale blue to pale yellow. $3.00/dzn. I went for those over the other choices: a dozen pheasant or quail, 8 duck eggs or a lone emu egg!

Oh yeah I deserve a credit for boxing up half of my shrimp and spinach salad last night at a restaurant before we went to the movie. It wasn't that hard as the salad wasn't great and I will today be tossing that salad instead of eating it. Credit moi for this... I am going to do it right now. Did it it's gone. I've also just finished cooking some chicken and some beef for the coming week and for sandwiches for our road trip today. Not leaving things to chance.
Credit moi for planning ahead.

BillBlueEyes We saw The Dark Knight last night in IMAX and it struck me that it'd be great to have Wayne Enterprises build me my next wagon. Indestructible, it would just scoop me up and point me in the right direction. Always fuelled and ready to go.... and very very attractive so I would never want to leave my wagon... never. Oh and I saw one tomato ripening up in my garden. Don't know which heirloom variety fought it out to survive in my garden! Will have to consult my photos I took when I planted them. The markers are long gone.

hbuchwald Ah you're well on the wagon trail my friend :) All the time spent in prep will pay off as time spent OP. SO glad you're finding your way again...:carrot:

Off to have coffee and watch some CNN about Gustav. I sure hope everything that happens is not as bad as I fear. Those poor folks!

Good morning Coaches

Just a quick hello on this much-deserved day off. Hope everyone is using it to relax.

Credit to me for staying on plan through all of the back to school craziness. I'm now up to a 15 pound loss. I NEVER thought that these little 5 pound goals would be such a great idea. Instead of looking at the horrible big picture of how much I have to lose, I feel like a winner each time I hit a 5 pound goal. And my toenails have never been prettier! (my 5 pound loss reward is a pedicure)

As I head back into the crazy work week, please know, Coaches, that I am lurking and really appreciating everyone's thoughts, struggles and victories. They are really such a huge part of this program. THANK YOU. :hug:

Good evening!

Freer congrats on the 15 pounds gone! Yep, breaking down into 5 pound goals is much easier to deal with. I love it get pedicures more then manicures.


OnebyOne we have an artists colony not far from here and they have a studio tour the first week in December. I always look forward to that. Next weekend is Market Days - a festival of artists - painting, glass, ceremaics, jewelry, wood carving. We always go to that, too. My friends want me to rent a wheelchair so I won't miss it this year. I haven't looked at the Farmers Almanac yet, but I'm afraid we're in for a cold winter after the cool August and July. Just so we don't have snow.

BBE, our blueberries are over I think. Darn, they are my favorite berry.

Okay, the diet myth for yesterday was "Certain Foods Can Burn Fat." Here's the answer given:

According to the "negative calorie effect," the act of chewing and digesting certain foods burns up more calories than the food itself contains. Cucumbers, celery, and grapefruit top the list of foods rumored to have "negative calorie" value. However, while it may seem as if you expend a lot of energy when you chew, in reality, chewing eats up only about 11 measly calories per hour. Low-calorie, high-nutrient foods certainly will help you lose weight--not because they creat negative calories, but because you're munching on them instead of crackers, chips and cookies.

If you said "Wrong" you are right.

Tomorrow's question is "It's better to eat six mini meals than three squares." What do you think?

I started back on Day 1 today. Listened to the CD and then did the workbook. You can always learn something new. I had stopped reading my list of why I wanted to lose weight every day but I typed it up and stuck it up on the refrigerator.

I just felt like I had to get outside today. I used my crutches and "walked" to the lake and sat on one of the benches there for awhile. Just felt good to be outside. It's only a 10 minute walk but people stopped and offered me a ride.

Tuesday
 

Diet Coaches – Could easily get used to taking Monday off. Took a long walk with DW where she showed me the many places where invasive plants are seriously taking over and the several places where fighting back has kept them at bay. Just made it to the gym before they closed early for the holiday. CREDIT moi. Had corn on the cob twice as planned. CREDIT moi. Lean Cuisine frozen meals were on a good sale, so I bought five different types as emergency lunches for when I don't want to make something. This will be different, since I haven't had something like this since frozen "TV dinners" from my youth (where you bent up the corner of the foil so that the apple crisp got browned). Will defer taking credit until I see if they're edible, LOL.

onebyone – LOL that you will "have Wayne Enterprises build me my next wagon." Hope you design the chassis, or at least create a design for Robin (RobinW) to wrap. Yep, Kudos for first boxing up and then tossing that shrimp and salad. You're ahead of me; I have to leave it until it spoils before I can toss it. Wow, I've never heard of "Argentinian Chicken eggs," but I do know that an emu egg is rather large. Trying to imagine eating 1/5 of an emu egg for breakfast.

Susan (QuilterInVA) - Kudos for getting that walk to the lake. Yah for restarting Beck. Glad you're back to daily reading your Advantages Response Card. I continue to do that daily myself.

RE 6 vs. 3 meals: I started with 3 and was religious about eating nothing in between. Then became very comfortable with 3 snacks scheduled between them. Having planned, scheduled snacks helps me avoid grazing because I have in mind what I'm going to eat next.

freer - Congrats on that 15 pounds, and Big Kudos for staying on plan through school start up craziness. Will think of you doing your Teachercise this week even if you're not posting.


Readers – "… Let’s say you open a package of peanut butter crackers on the counter. You don’t just automatically reach for a cracker and put it in your mouth. Your thoughts influence what you do. … " Beck, pg 26.

and September begins
 

Good Morning Coaches

I'm officially weighing in on Tuesdays now and I am happy to report a loss of 1 lb. Credit moi. 4 more to get to my second 5... I am at 6lbs for 3 weeks. This is good stuff. I will stay with this carb cycling WOE.

Today is getting the chores done day. Get to Canadian Tire and replace that cordless screwdriver. Get to IKEA and buy a cheap, basic ceiling fixture... maybe will look for that at Canadian Tire too... a few groceries for the week= make my foodplan for the week and another day of decluttering and general getting my house in order. Painting this small space has really done what I had hoped for me. I cannot "forget" that cleaning up is a priority now. The blue room speaks to me of what I can accomplish. Proof I can do this when I feel I can't and should concede defeat. I am so glad I pushed forward on that...and guess what? I came into the exact piece of furniture I wanted to buy at IKEA: a sideboard. Long and narrow I wanted something other than shelves running along the wall perpendicular to the scribbled wall. My friends told me they went to a garage sale down their street and impulsively bought a sideboard type table, black with six deep drawers but it was too big and too dark for their house and now they were "stuck with it" um.... NOPE! I told them it was exactly what I was looking for and I'd take it off their hands. $20. So, now it's here, and it fits that space perfectly and I have 6 new drawers to put my work/school stuff into. Incredible. One drawer won't fit right (it closes over top of the others) but it still works, it's a drawer, only one of the six and it was $20! I LOVE it. Funny how the universe unexpectedly answers some things eh? I took it as a pat on the back "This decluttering/reorganizing thing you're doing? You're on the right track...here's a cookie." :hat: Here's to the universe and to sticking things through until we see results! Credit moi et vous... for persevering in all things.

I'm looking forward to hearing how everyone's been doing. We've all been so busy getting ready for this day...

freer 15lbs done 5 at a time! Awesome! :hat: I salute you as well! Looking forward to hearing how the week went for you.

QuilterInVA I hope you do get to the art show. As a quilter, you need to fill the well.. the creative well. This is seeing things, talking about things and making things. It makes us happy! :D Is there a website for the show, or the artists in your area? I love imagining what it would be like to live and work in other places. And I wish we wouldn't get any snow either but it's more like I hope we don't get as much snow as last year. We missed the all time record last year by 34cm... just shy of 6 ". If I keep losing weight I may fit into the fantastic winter coat I got for my birthday 2 years ago. It is so warm! And would be great to wear if the winter is especially cold.

As for the question: I am going with the 6 mini meals to keep the blood sugar even and the appetite in check.

Billblueeyes I've attached a stunning picture of an Easter Egg Bird, such as might have laid the eggs I am about to try after this email is sent. I have copied the link to wikipedia on this. Good reading for work avoidance today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucana
And I'd love to have the Wayne Enterprises Wagon wrapped (you know they'd make a fortune with this as a "diet aid" eh? Wow. I sense an art project possbility here.) Anyway I'd wrap it with Beck slogans and encouragement to "Come on down, step right up" &etc. Maybe a trick mirror that slims you? I couldn'ts imagine eating the emu egg either. I remember I once saw a chef do it on tv and they scrambled the egg and there was ALOT of scrambled egg on that plate. Can't remember what they did after that unfortunately. All these eggs are from birds these market vendors have on their farm. They have a wild animal park and then you can, pretty much, taste the animals you've seen! Wild boar, pheasant, duck, bison, this is them http://www.bearbrookfarm.com/deli.html Oh! They serve up more animals than I thought! Never sure how I feel about that. To each their own.

I am off. Have a great OP day gang.

tuesday reality check
 

Coaches,

Back on the board and hopefully back OP. Will be climbing back on the wagon today...yup, that is the spine-tingling sound of my fingernails scratching, trying to get on onebyone's new wagon...oops, it is only built for two and it is full. OK...we are just going to have design a really big model for all of us. LOL. Seems that getting back on the wagon is a common theme around here. I guess as long as more of us are on the wagon than off, we are OK...or at least as long as we keep a driver on the wagon (BBE?) so the rest can keep climbing on board after falling off!

My offplan weekend had many reasons that would take lots of 'splaining to fully understand. One was end of summer sadness, felt like last chance to have long evening in front of lake side fire under the stars with nice wine and DH (yep, extra alcohol that day). Great times though. Also had a scale dip on Saturday which led me to rest on laurels a bit (forgot "Persist, Especially in Victory"). Another one was my birthday yesterday (but no, I did not have cake or sweets because I had already treated myself to icecream day prior).

All food except one was healthy (OK, I had a choclate chip cookie/ice cream sandwich that I simply "just deserved based on my success" but then cringed when I read the 500 cals on the wrapper after eating)....:( what happened to planning ahead of time?

Even though off plan, I was not offplan for whole days (just that each day had some slips). Calorie totals were either at maintenance levels or slightly below, so not a ridiciulously bad weekend... just not gonna lose like that. :nono: At any rate, I think I will take credit for not doing worse than what I did (OK, is that a stretch?). I did exert some control and turned down many things. I also proved to myself that I can indulge a little without going crazy...ie "Oooh, that ice cream was so good and its been a looong time since I had that, and the scale was down today, lets just get another". And the next Sabotage, "Well, we've blown the diet, so it doesnt matter what we have now". Old me would have strung those thoughts together and had a full blown weight gaining weekend. So, Credit Moi for staying level.

Water exercise two days this weekend, so OP with that. Also painted the 30 year old patio chairs, a job that I have been promising for more than 2 years. Big credit for that!

Exercise will be a challenge this week as big pool at the Y closed for cleaning. Will have to problem solve that one.

Facing the reality of back to planning and sticking with it...need that ARC reading twice a day again. Reminder that I am choosing to do this because it is what I want! No self-pity or unfairness in that.

Great Tuesday everyone!

New, intro and way to go everyone!
 

Hallo!

I'm new and I'm on Day 6 of the Beck Diet Solution, so of course I hopped online in search of some way I might manage to get a diet coach. That's how I found this site and this forum.

I've tried most of the "sensible" diets out there, and a few less than sensible ones, through the years. I have a pretty good grasp of nutrition and what's good for me--and what isn't (plus, I have several versions of the Weight Watchers materials from past attempts--one with just points, the other after they introduced the core plan).

The problem isn't lack of knowledge--it's lack of inclination. When I'm hungry, and have the choice between a big bowl of pasta or a big bowl of salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side, I've tended to choose the pasta, even though I know full well the salad would be the healthy choice. Or a croissant versus a low-fat yoghurt and half a bagel. Etc.

So I knew that what had to change was my outlook--and this book seemed to outline the very change I was looking for. So far, so good. I'm really liking it and the different methods are working for me. Each new task has its challenges, but the results and the changes are great so far--and I haven't even officially started the diet yet!

Possibly, the one that seemed the hardest was the diet coach idea, so far, because I'm a little shy about such things. But I knew I'd probably need the support, just as she says, after the initial excitement wears off and I hit a rough patch (or several). And it's nice to be able to give support whenever possible as well! This forum looks great!

I'm so delighted to see all the encouragement and accomplishments of everyone else here! It's just great! It's also nice to see all of you who are also on the program!

I'm often a bit shy on forums (haven't been on many, for that matter), but I thought I'd at least step forward and introduce myself a little!

6 versus 3 meals
 

Forgot to respond to Quilter's challenge:

For overall weight loss, in theory, it does not matter whether you eat 3 or 6 times in a day. The calories are the calories, same amount of energy intake no matter how divided.

However, for control of appetite, some people do better (that is lower their caloric intake) if they eat more often. But, there is nothing magical about 6 times, it could be 4 or 5 depending on the person. Also, for some people eating more often provides more opportunity to overeat. So, each person has to find their optimum method of appetite control.

Hey all.

I needed some time to think things over. I am back on beck and am looking at how much I have to do to get myself in check. Gonna take it one day at a time. I have picked my diets and have a diet coach so that is good.

I am back to working..am a school bus driver (no stress there) and we started back today. Am kinda glad to be back to work. I love working with kids and I did hear that last year this was the route from >>>>. Not with me..I will tell them that I have rules to follow and so do you. If they ask what rules..I will tell them the road rules and district rules. So far this am was good...we will see.

Have not been doing good at all and needed to rethink myself into getting things done for me. I will be taking the book with me to work and when I have time looking through it again.

I have you all as diet coaches and have picked the diets and have my list. I am gonna redo my list as I remember somewhere that someone did a list using a small notebook and used scrapbooking to enhance it. If I did learn it here...sorry that I don't remember who it was.

I also am gonna cut back on where I am on the internet...I have too many places that I am trying to keep track of...this is one I will keep for sure. Thanks for listening.

Khria :welcome3: Nice to see a new face here! Happy you took the chance to post...we are all very friendly and very supportive.

And :welcome2: back angelmomma210! As always we are here for you... you can do it. Nice to see you again. If you look back over some posts you'll see we've all had our ups and downs... just get back on that wagon with us.

I read the book and was so excited to find something that helped with the mental aspect of dieting and why it doesn't take so well.

I'm on day 8-well, I still have some problems with a few of the other days like sitting while eating and eating slow. I do well for a day or two then slowly go back to what I was doing before.

I wish there was an entire forum set up for this, it would be easier then wading through several months worth of posts-but I understand space issues.

Sarah in MD

Good evening!

I'm on Day 2 and this time I am changing my diets. My primary diet will be counting calories using The Daily Plate to log my food and my secondary will be WW Core Plan.

I did a chair aerobics tape today - good upper body workout for anyone with leg problems. I've stayed on my food plan as well and drank 9 cups of water so credit moi for a good day.

Shrinkin, congrats to you for not having cake and ice cream on your birthday. Didn't it make you feel good!

Khria - welcome to the group. They are a great bunch and loads of help.

Sarahyu, it takes 3 weeks minimum to establish a new habit so it will get easier to only eat when you are sitting down and eating slowly. Just keep trying!

Angelmomma210 - glad to have you back. I'm going through the program again to further cement the principles. It really helps to take notes and review them often.


BBE, I find most of the Lean Cuisine's to be good. I also enjoy the South Beach diet line (they are bigger and more protein).

The question for yesterday was "It's better to eat six mini meals than three squared." If you said wrong, you are right.

As long as your food choices for the entire day are healthy and not too high in calories, either eating style can work. I find that many people prefer to eat more volume less frequently because of hectic schedules or heartier appetites. If that sounds like you, just be sure to keep your daily calories in check, and try not to go longer than four to five hours without eating. Doing so may make your blood sugar drop, causing low energy, headaches, and overeating in response to feeling blah. Have small snacks on hand--such as fruit, nonfat yogurt, or a bag of baby carrots--in case you're running late for lunch or dinner."

The question for tomorrow is "Margarine is better than butter." What do you think?

Just a quick hello! Its getting late, but we made it to Indy!!

I also just wanted to share something that hit me really hard today. Different Mirrors have given me the huge wake-up call I needed. Wow!!

Another thing happened the other day...lots of personal stress issues were caving in. I purposely stayed away from the scale because I didnt want to know what it said. Therefore, not letting me feel guilty about any weight I may have gained over the last few days.

The scale is now in a room and in my direct line of sight every time I go up the stairs! Problem fixed!

Man o man.....I need to eat more salads! :lol:

I will be posting about my adventures and photos this week on my business blog. If you are interested pm me and I'll give you the link. I can't advertise it here (house rules.......which are good ones btw!)

Im off to bed. I'll try to check in tomorrow with how I did.

Night night.

Welcome Khria
 

:welcome: Khria :welcome:

Welcome to the Beck Diet Solution Discussion Group, Support Group, Diet Coach Group.

And, in honor of your first post on 3FC, :wel3fc:

How did you find out about Beck? And how did you find our discussion group here?

Welcome Sarah (sarahyu)
 

:welcome: Sarah (sarahyu) :welcome:

Welcome to the Beck Diet Solution Discussion Group, Support Group, Diet Coach Group.

And, in case you didn't get one of these when you joined 3FC more than 4 years ago! :wel3fc:

How did you find out about Beck? And how did you find our discussion group here?

Wednesday
 

Diet Coaches – Had a new vegetable, pumpkin tendrils. Who'd have thought that the coarse leaves and vine of a pumpkin was edible. But some farmer sold it to Whole Foods and DW prepared it. Was rather tasty, about as tender as, say, spinach rather than bite-back like mustard greens. CREDIT moi.

onebyone – WOW for your WOE!!! Congrats for those 6 pounds in three weeks. Love it that the universe is rewarding your de-cluttering efforts. Thanks for the picture of the Easter Egg Bird; I'm still trying to get my mind around the thought of a scrambled emu egg (size of a grapefruit), LOL.

Robin (RobinW) - Glad you made it safely to Indy. hmmm... I need a pointer to understand your reference to Different Mirrors . LOL at making your scale visible every time you go up the stairs.

angelmomma210 - Sounds good for the kids that you have rules and let them know. Kudos for the organized restart. Like the idea of the Advantages Response Card in a scrapbook form.

shrinkin - Happy Birthday with Kudos for avoiding the ice cream and cake on that day. LOL at the notion of a designated driver for the wagon - don't think it'll be taxing for onebyone to design it large enough for all of us. And Kudos for working on your Sabotaging Thoughts and countering them with your Advantages Response Card.

Susan (QuilterInVA) - Kudos for doing your chair aerobics - love the example of sticking to whatever exercise is possible. RE "Margarine is better than butter?" DW has returned to using small amounts of butter in cooking when it's a critical part of the taste. I guess we treat it like red meat, OK in small quantities. We've been off trans-fat margarine for years. I wish they'd just withdraw it from the market.

Khria – Kudos for progressing up to day 6: Find a Diet Coach. If you're asking this group, I'll be happy to be an online Diet Coach and ask you to do that for me. Neat description of what Beck does for me also: "I knew that what had to change was my outlook--and this book seemed to outline the very change I was looking for." One way to confront feeling shy about posting is to make is part of your plan to post daily as you progress through the 42 steps - at least that's worked for me and kept me going.

Sarah (sarahyu) – Kudos for progressing up to day 8: Create Time and Energy. Yep, I also need to catch myself on the basics - like eating sitting down. You're here at an opportune time since several people are starting the book anew. Feel free to discuss the day you're working on and there's likely to a discussion that follows.


Readers – "… If you think, I really want to eat that … It won’t matter if I take one, and you don’t respond to those thoughts, you’ll go ahead and eat the cracker. … " Beck, pg 26.

Wednesday report
 

Good morning coaches!

Tuesday was an onplan day for me for calories. It was tough as the mind kept thinking about food not on plan. BBE-there goes that perserveration again! LOL Scale has been a big disappointment recently so just need to focus on the plan. I know scale will follow.

CREDIT MOI for exercise last night at new pool. Had been thinking that I might want to change from Y to get more flexibility in time availability, so decided to use this week to investigate. Usual problem with most clubs is that pool is an afterthought compared to exercise floor and equipment. Ad said club open 24/7 and indicated it was generally an adult club. Not really so. Pool closes at 10 pm. "Too expensive" to pay the three lifeguards they have to monitor this huge water play area compete with four big water slides overrun with young children. Small contiguous lap pool crowded and hard to keep the kids out of the lanes. Could not tell if HR met target becuase no large clock in proximity. Did 30 min instead of my now usual 45 because I could not see clock. I was not happy about that. OH WELL. Place looks nice but won't really meet my needs. Not sure that I will go there again tomorrow as part of my "free one week trial" or will find the energy of activation to seek out yet another option.

BBE-Credit on those pumpkin vines. Hmmm...Not sure I can picture eating them. Methinks you starting to think..."well if it grows, lets try eating it!" LOL.

Welcome Sarah and Khria! Great to have you. Hope you will post back and share your journey with us. Sarah, most of us keep going forward while reworking days over and over as we have time....and then go thru the book again after we've done it once. Just takes a while, that is why we call it "practicing Beck". Not sure if any of us think we have perfected it.

RobinW-glad to have you back on the board. Hope you are enjoying Indy. Great city. "Different Mirrors" can give you a new perspective. I think I have a "thin one" because photos sure look worse than my mirror. Kudos for getting scale controled.

Quilter-You are pure inspiration with those chair exercises and your earlier crutch walk to lake. What is the word with your knee? Hope it is progressing nicely.

I think butter and margarine are equal calorically....both almost pure fat. In past, doctors thought that the processed fat in margarine was better for your lipids and heart (lower in saturated fat and cholesterol). Now they have found it is higher in trans fats (a fat that only occurs with certain types of processing) and that trans fats are the worst for lipids and heart disease. Apparently, the human body's enzyme that breaks down fatty acids is not very effective at breaking down trans fats so they stay in bloodstream a long time. [Yes I have a lipid problem so have read a lot]. My only hope is that they have it right this time. Seems this years "good to eat" will be next years "not good to eat". At least with the food labelling law, we can all know trans fats in processed foods. Doesn't cover eating out though. Good news is that the major maker of shortening has redesigned their product to minimize trans fats. I dont think butter will work for some baking items.

angelmomma210-welcome back to Beck and the boards. You can climb right back on this wagon with the rest of us. As BBE says, job of designated driver of this big wagon is open! With your great job skills from driving a big bus of perhaps unrulies, you could be drafted. Scrapbooking is neat! Will make your ARC awsome. :carrot:

onebyone-Wow girl, you are movin' on that decluttering, cleaning, painting, organizing. Methinks it is great to "go while your hot". Kudos for finding a food plan that is working for you!:woohoo:for that 6 pounds!!

:wave: to hbuchwald, kuhljeanie, free, coastalsue, and maryblu!

Great Wednesday to all!

Hello. Not feeling great today TOM so I'll keep this short. I have a movie scheduled for this afternoon. Hope I am up to the bus ride.:barf:

Welcome sarahyu I too found it amazing that a small act like sitting down to eat could be so problematic. I still catch myself taking a bite here and there at times without sitting down. I'm always working on that one.

Quilterinva - nice to hear you're working out and on plan. I know that feels good. Credit to you for that! As for margarine being better than butter, I say no.

RobinW I've had some nasty wakeup calls in front of some hotel mirrors. Is this what you mean? The worst was a giant bathroom in Altlantic city with mirrors on two sides of the room. Could not escape my reflection, back and front. Certainly more difficult to deny the shape I'm in there vs. the head and shoulders medicine cabinet view I have at home.

BillblueeyesPumpkin tendrils? Wow. Never heard of that. Kudos to Mrs. Billblueeyes for trying those!

good morning my coaches,

i've been lurking, but for the most part haven't had the energy to actually post. aargh. DH is still in the thick of his issue, so i've been on call between him and el nino. and now, of course, i'm sick. just the garden-variety congestion, headache, sore throat. sadly i'm almost glad because it's a sanctioned reason for not exercising. seems it's my body's way of saying "enough already."

trying like heck to battle the thought that i won't feel better until DH feels better. can't put my health on a contingency plan. it's just more challenging now than it's been in times past. between being sick and TOM, and DH and DS, and both houses needing lots and lots of work, i feel like crawling under a rock and staying there. i also know that eating healthfully will make me feel better than blitzing out on salty, starchy food. why does the body/mind do that to itself?

i apologize for not addressing everyone individually! can't keep the thoguhts in my head long enough to write about them. welcome to the new folks!

Hi Everyone!

Onebyone--thank you for the lovely, animated welcome! I'm really inspired by reading everyone's posts already! :-D

Susan/Quilter-- Thanks for the welcome! Repeating the plan sounds like a great idea! Though this is my first time through, I was thinking it might make sense to put a reminder in my calendar to go over (or redo) the plan on a regular basis. Once I've finished the six weeks, I'll decide how regularly I might need the refresher. Also, congrats on all the workouts and fabulous stuff. I've chosen a similar kind of diet plan as well, with CalorieKing nutrition and exercise tracker as my first choice, and then dusting off my WW materials as a backup. My third fallback is to start going to meetings again. :-D

sarahyu--I agree--I've been finding the mindful eating part really challenging. I can just about manage to make myself sit, but then keeping focussed on the food and not getting distracted by my skittering thoughts is really tricky for me, too. My ability to do it really varies from one meal to the next. Though, I think it also depends on how much I'm enjoying the food!

BillBlueEyes and Shrinkin--I only just saw your posts! Thanks to both of you for the welcomes too!

BillBlueEyes: The short answer re finding Beck and the Forums--the Internet.

The longer answer is that I found the Beck book a while ago, and I can't remember how exactly. It might have been when I was trying to inspire myself by reading weight loss blogs. So, I checked it out on Amazon, found it had been almost universally heaped with praises and also realised it was an approach that might work for me (if anything could--I already knew it was mindset, not knowledge, that was tripping me up because I've lost weight before, when I've been focussed and really determined, but somehow, I couldn't seem to recapture that focus since).

But then, it might have been self-sabotage/reluctance to change, but I couldn't start right away, cause I was going off on holiday, or I was _____ (insert other somewhat-plausible sounding excuse ;-D), until I just forgot about the book. So it's been a while since I bought it, and it has been sitting, gathering dust on my shelf.

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my brother about CBT, and that's what reminded me of the book. I dusted it off, and here I am! As for the group--I googled and found this forum. It seemed like a great, and active, community (both important factors... so many interesting-looking forums seem to have been last updated in 2004, and you know if you posted, it would be like talking to yourself, cause no-one checks them anymore). I also liked that the site was about people helping people (i.e. not part of the whole diet-industry juggernaut--notwithstanding the welcome advertising that keeps it free, of course!). I liked that very much! And so, here I am!

I also like the idea of scheduling time for checking the forums in (since I'm soon to be on the scheduling day, I can implement it!)--thank you!

Angelmomma210--great idea for scrapbooking your ARCs! I'll bet it's that much more enticing to read them when they're beautifully-crafted and a pleasure to look at and read through.

I'm notoriously forgetful, so I've put my ARC list into Google Calendar (I created a special calendar for that, and reminders to eat mindfully, etc.--i.e. a health and wellness calendar), and it emails me the list several times a day--I also get it on my ipod/PDA, so I can read them even if I'm on the go or need that extra boost when I'm away from my computer.

Shrinkin--Congrats to you for staying OP, despite not seeing the results. That can be really challenging--and deserves some bonus credit, I'd say!

Quilter--I agree with Shrinkin re margarine. I think that many of them had hydrogenated oils to make them shelf-stable at room temp--and we now know that's nasty for our bodies. I think becel is one of the non-hydrogenated ones?

Good afternoon all. I have been alot better the last few day..with a routine in effect it sure helps. Thanks for the welcome back.
Still working on my little scrapbook but am still have with me my list. Am reading it and it seems to help right now.
Tomorrow my time at home midday will be less because the kindergarden starts and I really love those little ones.
Welcome to the new people.
Well that is all for now...need to have my lunch and get ready to go back to the four letter w word. LOL

Good evening, everyone! Doing good today. Did my exercise and stayed on my food plan.

Hurricane Hanna may be paying us a visit.:yikes: I live on the water but my flood insurance is in effect! I live on a peninsula - they have evacuation routes set up but there are only 4 roads to get us out of here and the traffic is tied up most days so I don't think it'll work. Just evacuating the Outer Banks is a nightmare. Well, we shall see.

I'm glad to see so many posting. Sorry I don't have time to reply to each of you today, but I'll get to it.

Yesterday's question was "Margarine is better than butter." Here's the answer:

"Butter contains saturated fat that, when eaten in excess, can raise "bad" (LDL) cholesterole, increasing the rise of heart disease. For that reason, some people use margarine as a substitute. The problem with margarine--specifically stick margarine--is that it contains trans fats, which increase LDL cholesterol and lower the "healthy" (HDL) cholesterol. Double whammy!"

"Your best best is a soft-tub vegetable spread that says "trans fat free"--it will be low in saturated fat as well. If you are watching your calories, opt for soft tub brands in "reduced fat" or "light" versions."

Note the saw actually 3 fats there - butter, stick margarine, and soft tub spread.

The question for Thursday is "Fresh fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than frozen ones." What do you think?

yup its the huge bathroom mirrors! They start about at my hip, and go up, then there are 2 more mirrors, making a U shape around the vanity. OMG!! I hate them, I should probably have these same mirrors installed in my bathroom at home. :lol3: Its easy to see just my head and shoulders in the bathroom mirror at home, then stand just right so you look "ok" in the hall full length mirror.

Well, I took more pictures today and my camera cut most of them in half. I'll post them later tonight.

Eating is pretty good, getting lots and lots of walking in.

I shouldnt have any trouble getting back into full swing when I get back home.

I really should consider some huge mirrors in the bathroom!!

Have a great evening everyone!

Oh yeah those are the mirrors I was talking about too! I swear they make every lump and bump show up cause it wasn't just the mirrors but the lighting that seemed way brighter and they were spotlights in the ceiling that seemed to aimed to a)highlight the uneven lumpy areas and b) cast shadows over the good parts. I remember thinking that if I brought dinner up to the room and ate it in the bathroom I would eat way less.:eek:

QuilterInVAOMG I hope you don't have to deal with Hanna! If you do do you have to evacuate far away, or can you stay put? I hope you don't have to do either. Congrats for staying OP today.

angelmomma210 Happy to hear you're doing better! Keep it up;)

Khria Thanks for posting again! It was interesting to read your progress to actually doing Beck. I have "lost" my Beck book 3x now. Only once did I manage to have it all the way through from day 1 to 42. (It's still "lost" but will show up eventually). I was an instant believer in the Beck method when I read it was based on CBT too. I have faced down many and varied fears using CBT methods. I know it works. And from my own experience here, Beck does work too. It takes practice and reminding and willingness but it works.

kuhljeanieHi! Nice to hear from you. You still have a lot to do but you're progressing... don't doubt that! Just remember, if I have a problem and I eat over it, then I have TWO problems... good to remember! Eating will not make it go away or make you feel better long term. being good to yourself will go much further.:hug: All the best to you!

For me this was carb-up day. I had spaghetti and fried rice and cake today. I didn't feel like fruit:?: Must be the hormones. I hopped on the scale this mornign and saw that it's down and I was in danger of eating too much (shrinkin' your Persevere, especially in the face of victory came to mind), but if I did it wasn't enough to trouble me or worry me. I think I am getting better at negotiating these carbup days. My scale keeps telling me I am doing things well and my skirt, which I got as a summer thing to throw on in lieu of shorts (it's jist a plain jean skirt) has a cheap zipper that unzips really easily. I alwys have long tops over it so no one knows but what's been new is that in the last week or so the zipper isn't gooing down. I take this to mean that my tummy isn't pushing out as far forcing the zipper down...whatever the reason something has changed. It's too bad it has a partially elastic waist so I can't judge it that way but the zipper? That's a new development. I look forward to it becoming loose at the elastic waist.

Have a good night you guys.

Thursday
 

Diet Coaches – Did my gym. CREDIT moi. Just to play with the different weights, I sorted the rack of dumbbells at the gym. The 100# dumbbells were out of place. Now that was a challenge. I picked them up one at a time; not sure that picking them up together will ever be an option. Apparently the macho thing at my gym is to put heavy dumbbells in the upper rack marked for the lighter weights. No question that it demonstrates some muscle to do that.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Ouch for feeling sick, always a pain whether "garden-variety" or Amazon Jungle variety. Continuing to send supportive thoughts to the three of you.

onebyone – Congrats on the zipper victory. Hope you made it to the movie.

Robin (RobinW) - OK, thanks for the mirrors clarification. That reminds me of the magnifying mirror that they use to examine my facial skin for cancers. I can't stand having every defect magnified. There's a good reason that our eyesight declines with age, LOL.

angelmomma210 - Now that's a pleasant thought - two pleasant thoughts actually. A bus load of exuberant kindergarten kids. And knowing that they all get off the bus after a short while, LOL. Glad to hear that the routine is helping you.

shrinkin - LOL at "well if it grows, lets try eating it!" You don't think Whole Foods would be pulling one over on us do you? Ouch for swimming laps in a pool with three lifeguards. That's more than we provide for an ocean around here.

Susan (QuilterInVA) - Kudos for staying on plan and for exercising. RE butter: yesterday I had leftover Delicata Squash for lunch - baked (initially) with butter and honey. DW strongly believes in using butter in certain recipes.

RE Fresh vs Frozen: Do love that frozen veggies exist during the winter. I know the argument that they may be more nutritious than old (i.e. un-fresh) fresh veggies. Suppose it's true, but I still cherish fresh veggies when possible.

Khria – Neat that "talking to my brother about CBT" reminded you of Beck and got you started. Prior to Beck, I had some negative thought about Cognitive Behavior Therapy - how could something so simplistic be of real value. But boy did I change my mind after trying this program for a while.

Readers – "… On the other hand, if you think, I really want to eat it, but I shouldn’t because it’s not on my diet … I have to get better at resisting food between meals, then you won’t eat it." Beck, pg 26.

Thursday report
 

Yesterday at the top end of my calorie range. So, OK but not great. Not a planned exercise day. Today is scheduled day and with Y pool closed for cleaning have to face either going back to chaotic three life guard pool at "free trial membership" or going to find yet another pool. :( Having a routine busted is the pits.

More stress than average in life right now. Serious problems all day yesterday with my mother who has Alzheimers. :cry: Total mental and emotional turmoil. Really no time for it either with work deadlines pressing. Amazing that diet was as good as it was given stress level.

Weigh in day today: down 0.5 pounds. Mediocre but not too unexpected given the weekend spent in premature entry into "maintenance" calories. Still is hard to feel that I am working at it [even maintenance calories feels tough] and progress is slow. Average 4 week loss from fitday: 0.88 pounds per week. On reread of Beck day 10 yesterday: "How much will it matter a few years from now how long it took? I need to remind myself why its important to lose weight slowly." (Beck, pg 114). OK, so I will take the 0.5 pounds.

Not in the mood to give myself credit for much and feel that creating time and energy (yup day 8 still needs practice and committment) a serious challenge for me today.

Dark clouds and raindrops outside (seems inside too). PT today, and I have only done a so-so job with shoulder exercises (yep, missed some days this week). Must work on that as I need my arms back. Haven't been able to get a routine for the required twice a day exercises.

Sunshine amid clouds: DH has really stepped up in support and help.

Looks like a NO CHOICE kind of day for me.

Hope others are having a better Thursday.

Thursday
 

Wow. Thursday has really crept up on me. I have to go into the school and do some boring work today. I should be there already but can hardly face going. I figure I'll leave in about an hour or so, make it in by noon. I may make some clay buttons while there. Something to look forward to do after running glazes through a sieve from one bucket to the other and back again. That's what's ahead for me. 12 or so big buckets of sieving each twice through a very fine mesh screen.:yawn:

I have not picked back up on the cleaning. Haven't painted the kitchen "morning sun" yet nor put up the yellow checked gingham scalloped edged daisy embroidered white cotton curtains. I could quite readily clear out the back wall here and that's a MAJOR space to be freed but I have't done it. And now I feel the pressure of the weekend and I am asking myself hmmmm what did I need to make for the weekend? any orders? do I have to call anyone to come pick up stuff? My mind is everywhere but where it needs to be today.

BillBlueEyes I made it to the movie yesterday. We saw Hamlet2. It was ordinary and extrordinary, funny and unfunny all at the same time. Outrageous yet common. Very odd film. My DH loved it. I am starting to wonder if my tastes are shifting.

shrinkin' Very sorry to hear of your mother's illness. That is so so tough to deal with in so many ways. I am happy your DH is there for you, to help take some of the pressure. I hope you find a pool. Maybe the free one is busier at certain times of day? I have found the hours of 9:30 to 11 to be relatively quiet as well as 1:30 to about 3 to be the best bet in public places. Early morning lunchtime right after work, forget it. Busy. After 7 too. And if you force yourself to go to the busy pool just enjoy the water. It's not forever and it shows a willingness on your part to do what it takes. Please keep going. It's not just about the numbers on the scale. It's about seeing ourselves succeed at something that we have not been able to succeed at before! And that will spur us all on to do other things we've been dreaming of... this is something I need to believe to so I am talking to myself as much as you:hug: Hang in there. Keep posting.

hello to everyone!

Had a pretty good day, sorta ate on plan. Supper ended up being pasta, but Im ok with that. The serving size was just right too, not a huge plate full of food I couldnt finish but forced myself to do kwim?

I was in classes all day, and learned heaps and heaps of things. One instructor inparticular....I would just love to climb into his brain for a day :lol: That probably wouldnt be enough time, but wow, he couldnt talk fast enough to get all the information out to us. I was really pleased, and I think this is the best $400 Ive spent in years!

Alright, Im off to get some work done then Im off to bed :wave:

Friday
 

Diet Coaches – Crunch day for a project at work. Stayed late with a planned apple; ignored the vending machines, even though the thought did occur to me, in passing, like a flash from the olden days. CREDIT moi. Had two ears of corn with dinner to keep up with my over-purchases. And DW harvested a gorgeous purple variety tomato for our tomato salad tonight - weighed a pound. That's a $5 tomato at Whole Foods. I take such delight reveling in the harvest here. Adjusting weekend plans to accommodate Tropical Storm (nee Hurricane) Hanna due to arrive in the Boston area at 2:00 am Sunday. Hoping that Susan (QuilterInVA) survives it down in Virginia.

onebyone – The other side of life as an artist: "running glazes through a sieve from one bucket to the other and back again." LOL, googling finds: Camus concludes that "all is well," indeed, that "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." And keep the faith on your de-cluttering. Small step then small step. Your steps are encouraging me to continue taking small steps in my clutter. I can't read about your "morning sun" kitchen without remembering that Heidi (hbuchwald) dubbed it *****eny, LOL

Robin (RobinW) - Greetings to the road warrior. Kudos for "serving size was just right" while on the road. I do know how difficult that can be. Ya think that your smart instructor can help you design a wrap for onebyone's wagon? The one big enough for all of us, LOL.

shrinkin - Ouch for "Dark clouds and raindrops" time. Wish you the best in helping your mother. Kudos for hanging in and posting even while in the stress crunch. And Congrats for the slow but steady weight loss.

Readers – "The thoughts that lead you to act in unhelpful ways are sabotaging thoughts. The thoughts that lead you to act in more productive ways are helpful thoughts." Beck, pg 26.

Friday report
 

Good morning coaches,

Thanks to each of you for encouraging words. Dealing with unexpected events with Alzheimers can be a real roller coaster. Plus other family not in agreement about what to do. After a couple of very tough days, life seems a bit more back on track.

Calories right on target. Investigated another club with pool. Yup, second investigation of the week. CREDIT MOI. They, of course, gave free pass. So, did 40 min in the pool. Exercise was mental therapy. However, deep water walking does have its limitations:jammed toe when not realizing I had reached the end of area with water depth. Ouch for that, but did not stop. CREDIT MOI. Limping rest of day and toe now swollen and totally blue. OH WELL. So much for fleeting thought of pedicure reward this week. DH teased me I could have the nails done in purple to match.

PT not so good yesterday. Was honest in my report of my so-so follow thorough on exercises. She added a pool exercise. Must give this more attention.

BBE-Good luck with crunch day. I too am facing deadlines and looks like I am going to miss a big one. If I do, next time I can submit it will be Jan, so the pressure mounts along with boss displeasure. WooHoo for DW prize purple tomato. Envy your harvest. I will be thinking positive thoughts for all of you in storm areas. Have DD in the Boston area.

RobinW-Kudos for eating on plan with extra credits for doing it on the road in the midst of many other things to occupy your thoughts. Great to hear the high value of your classes. Love the pix of your business. WOW! You have a lot too be proud of with the progress you have made in such a short time. BTW, I thought the Indy pix were pretty good for cell phone camera.

onebyone-Still rejoicing over your progress to date with the clutter work and painting. I know your "on button" will be pressed again very soon and you will return to it. And your food plan is going great too! Your post yesterday was a HUGE help to me. Thanks.:hug:

Happy Friday all!

Good morning! Just time for a quick note today because I need to get patio furniture put away and bring in potted plants. Hanna will be coming to Hampton Roads between 12 and 2 tomorrow but the rains will start this afternoon. I'm more worried about Ike which is a category 4.

I'm still on plan. Last night was quilting bee and I had dinner with friends. I had a grilled chicken breast and salad with FF dressing because there is always dessert at the bee. I had one bite of lemon torte and decided I didn't need more and I had a handful of grapes. Guess what, no one was paying attention to what I was eating contrary to one of the reasons we sometimes use to eat.

Have a good one!

Mini meals work for me -- check out my Snack All Day diet thread.

good morning coaches,

in that yicky headspace where i'm off the wagon and not really caring. i look over my ARCs (they're posted on my cube wall) and think, yeah, whatever. lots of food thoughts all day. they're not helpful, but they are distracting.

at this point i'm going to give myself small goals to try and normalize myself back out. will give kudos for logging every bite, wearing my armband when not in the shower, going to bed before 10:00, and walking 10,000 steps. this i can accomplish. next week we leave for colorado - will have to think about what's feasible on vacation.

it's humbling to know that i'm still so vulnerable to compound stress. suspect that there's something to the thought that i'm essentially powerless to help dh get back on track. should focus on the idea that i'm NOT powerless to get self back on track. i'd like to take some time to reflect on that, but am feeling too busy. that might be something for my commute time since my attention is taken up at home with el nino and DH.

hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend! i'll be working on the old house. will definitely be around at the beginning of next week!

Evening :wave:

We are off to have subs for supper tonight. Neither of us want anything heavy. Stuff seems to be sitting in our bellies all night....and not sitting well. There is a place just around the corner that has some low fat selections and I can add lots of good veggie stuff ontop.

Thanks Shrinkin!! We've been working so hard, its nice to hear people say good things about how well we have done. Being so close to it, sometimes we dont appreciate our own efforts. This trip has shown us alot of new avenues we can check out. We've actually managed to NOT spend too too much $$ :lol:

Let's see.....things are good, Im walking pretty much all day, then taking another walk after supper. Eating is still not too bad, but not right on. I"ll get there.

Heading home tomorrow :cb: Im looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, watching my own tv, and eating my own food!!

Good evening!

Okay, so I not only fell off the wagon, I also got run over by it...several times over! I'm slowly but surely trying to inch my way back in the drivers seat.
My emotions are all over the place and today I briefly wished for an animal tranquilizer because I felt like a rabid grisly bear. I wanted icecream to be that tranquilizer but I went for a walk with my friend instead had a healthy supper with her and her husband. I did get a soft serve cone from McDonald's on the way home but it's better than a large snickers blizzard so, WTG! Tomorrow i'll be doing some painting and cleaning, planning on grilling burgers, corn on the cob and making creamy cucumbers. I hope the rain holds off.

M

Hi there everyone,
I got behind there for a few days. Whew!!! I am exhausted but things are going really well overall. I am not perfectly OP but am being gentle with myself so not abusively eating/binging... I felt a few familiar comfortable feelings when I went to school with my healthy/homemade lunch (the pasta number...YUM) and healthy sides. DD LOVES kindergarten and so far kindergarten loves her too! :) My colleagues who all know her would report sightings and all had her with a big ol grin on her face. She is taking it all in-I love it. She is also reporting every little thing back to me and excited to go over her papers in her backpack each night. Hope it all lasts...

I am just keeping my head above water with everything but feel that with all the structure and routine built into my renewed schedule, that I can get back into my groove.

Thanks to all of you... I get so much out of your posts even when I don't post personals, please know that I appreciate you all. More later this weekend!

Saturday - Awaiting Tropical Storm Hannah
 

Diet Coaches – Good news is that my crunch deadline was extended until Monday morning, so I can get some stuff finished this weekend. That, of course, is also the bad news. Worked diligently to keep my back flat on the bench while doing my chest press at the gym. CREDIT moi. There's much benefit to proper form, and I have much room to improve. Listening to the rain and waiting for the center of the storm to arrive.

Heidi (hbuchwald) - Neat to think about your DD's little vacuum mind "taking it all in." Glad you're on track as you make the huge adjustment to this year from such a free and easy summer. We're forming wagon trains around here, so just get on board.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Good plan to take on small goals. Kudos for posting here when you don't especially feel like it. Know that feeling of powerless to help someone we love - that's a tough hurt. Continue to send supportive thoughts for the three of you.

Robin (RobinW) - Great to hear from the road warrior. Glad that your week's workshop has seemed worth while. Kudos for "walking pretty much all day." Know that feeling of wanting my own bed, LOL.

shrinkin - Ouch for "missed deadline, pressure mounts, a couple of very tough days, and jammed toe." Kudos for tracking down a second new pool and getting on with your exercises. Glad to hear that the situation with your mother is "a bit more back on track."

Susan (QuilterInVA) - LOL at "no one was paying attention to what I was eating." Isn't that just mind boggling when you come to realize that people usually don't care. Kudos for staying on plan at your quilting bee - especially avoiding those desserts. Heavy rain is just starting here in the Boston area as I type. Presume that Hanna is hitting you at this moment. Hope you fare well.

M (goodnuff) – OK, you made it here. You can put it back together step by step. Kudos for taking the walk, despite feeling like a "rabid grisly bear." Shuddering at your mention of "a large snickers blizzard."

ToutDeSuite – Hello, it's nice to have visitors. Read your thread. Congrats on the success of your "Snack All Day" plan. Are you also a Beck person?


Readers – "How Thoughts can Sabotage Your Diet